Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Made to Stick cover art

Made to Stick

By: Chip Heath,Dan Heath
Narrated by: Charles Kahlenberg
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Contagious cover art
Catalyst cover art
Building a StoryBrand cover art
$100M Offers cover art
The Ultimate Sales Letter, 4th Edition cover art
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products cover art
Ca$hvertising cover art
Sold on Language cover art
Crucial Conversations cover art
The New Psycho-Cybernetics cover art
Unleash the Power of Storytelling cover art
The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business cover art
All Marketers Are Liars cover art
Built to Sell cover art
The E-Myth Revisited cover art
Captivology cover art

Summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The instant classic about why some ideas thrive, why others die, and how to make your ideas stick.

“Anyone interested in influencing others—to buy, to vote, to learn, to diet, to give to charity or to start a revolution—can learn from this book.”—
The Washington Post

Mark Twain once observed, “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” His observation rings true: Urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus news stories circulate effortlessly. Meanwhile, people with important ideas—entrepreneurs, teachers, politicians, and journalists—struggle to make them “stick.” 

In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier, such as applying the human scale principle, using the Velcro Theory of Memory, and creating curiosity gaps. Along the way, we discover that sticky messages of all kinds—from the infamous “kidney theft ring” hoax to a coach’s lessons on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony—draw their power from the same six traits.

Made to Stick will transform the way you communicate. It’s a fast-paced tour of success stories (and failures): the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who drank a glass of bacteria to prove a point about stomach ulcers; the charities who make use of the Mother Teresa Effect; the elementary-school teacher whose simulation actually prevented racial prejudice.

Provocative, eye-opening, and often surprisingly funny, Made to Stick shows us the vital principles of winning ideas—and tells us how we can apply these rules to making our own messages stick.

©2006 Chip Heath and Dan Heath (P)2007 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"An entertaining, practical guide to effective communication. Fun...and solidly researched." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Made to Stick

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    498
  • 4 Stars
    200
  • 3 Stars
    64
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    10
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    393
  • 4 Stars
    147
  • 3 Stars
    43
  • 2 Stars
    20
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    405
  • 4 Stars
    120
  • 3 Stars
    50
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best communication books ever written

You know when a management book is great - because the information is obvious and hardly ever followed. I found this very inspiring - exactly what I needed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best in class

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I read this book three times over in three weeks. As a young advertising creative, I found it helped enormously with the way I structure my approach to a brief. Using informative anecdotes and laser-guided analysis, it breaks down 'big ideas' from across all walks of life, and shows concretely why they were such a hit. The book practises what it preaches, too- using many of the 'sleight-of-hand' techniques covered to keep you hooked. It's full of jokes, and majestically narrated. Journalism, advertising, psychology, the military, urban legends, politics- this book gives you 'the keys to the city', looking inside some of the most sensational messages of our generation- and I'd recommend this book to anyone who has, or thinks that they might at some point have, a message to spread.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Made to Stick?

As the book is all about 'memorable moments', saying which was the 'most memorable' would not be so much about the book as one of the anecdotes covered. One of the most useful lessons, however, was about Clinton's presidential campaign- where consultant James Carville kept reminding Clinton that if he said three things, he said- nothing. 'It's the economy, stupid' became the campaign's Crie de Cour, and helped him to win. Saying one thing forcefully is immeasurably better than saying three things. This is a point which is demonstrated again and again in the book.

Which character – as performed by Charles Kahlenberg – was your favourite?

I think the character of Charles Kahlenberg is pretty fantastic- he's got a fantastic voice,
slow, knowing, urgent, assertive, and really brings the book to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely, yes- although as said in the book with regards to Bill Clinton's presidential campaign, 'if you say three things, you say nothing'- there are so many really really useful lessons in here that I'd actually recommend taking it slow and trying to absorb it in chunks- otherwise you will end up with an idea melange. A very pleasant melange though I must say. Anyway that's why I'm reading it for a third time.

Any additional comments?

This is my first ever review- I wouldn't usually take the time to do one, but I felt compelled.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

So simple, so helpful, already applying lessons

A large part of my job is synthesising data into succinct PPT decks and this book is exactly what i needed. They explain exactly how to get your point across. I've read loads of business and self help books but this is my favourite by far - so action orientated.

Finished this morning and might start listening again tomorrow...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best books I've ever come across

This audio book blew me away. I don't really get some of the other reviews on this page, the whole point of this book is making ideas stick, although Chip and Dan do touch on many other issues (all relating to sticky ideas). They also use many real world examples of ideas which stick and ideas that don't stick. This is an essential read for anyone whose job involves making ideas sticky - anyone in marketing and PR, also great for teachers.

Their six given criteria are awesome, and most if not all of the most popular advertising campaigns meet these criteria.

I'll be listening to this book again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • R
  • 07-04-10

I just ordered the paper version

Listened to this on holiday, uses many real life examples to illustrate the concepts and goes back to several throughout the book to clarify the points. I have now ordered the paper version on amazon so I can study the book in more details.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Instantly changed how I structure blogs

Some fascinating insights with practical advice that can be applied immediately. Have now listened to several chapters many times and bought the Kindle edition to take notes too. As a practical guide to improving communication I can't recommend it highly enough.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Simple to understand and apply

This is a very useful book. It focuses on how to make your ideas memorable and "sticky" and the principles are not just useful professional journalists, ad men or PR experts. I've found myself thinking about these principles when I'm doing things as mundane as explaining something on the phone and sending emails. And as a bonus it's entertaining too!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Easy and concrete

I like this book allot! It has several interesting points and how-to's and the narration is superb!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Mixed bag

Some good information and ideas mixed with a number of uninformed and outdated opinions. I somehow made it through to the end. I was expecting an inspiring read from the hype, but alas no.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating and thought provoking

Really enjoyed this book . If you liked The Tipping Point chances are you will love this book to. It held my attention.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful